


Shared Grief

by Sokerchick



Category: Burn Notice
Genre: Episode Tag, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-25
Updated: 2017-10-25
Packaged: 2019-01-23 05:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12499560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sokerchick/pseuds/Sokerchick
Summary: One Shot: Shortly after picking up Fiona in “Shock Wave” the team arrives back at the Loft and Sam says exactly the wrong thing, setting Michael off.





	Shared Grief

Pulling the car into the loft’s parking Sam gets out of the driver’s seat and turns worriedly to glance at his friend who is slowly climbing out from the seat behind him. Michael was in no shape to drive. Sam is futilely searching for something comforting to say. 

“Listen brother…” Sam realizes too late that’s exactly the wrong word to come out of his mouth. Michael is on him faster than he would have thought possible. Both fists are clenched in the front of Sam’s shirt and before he knows it Sam is being roughly shoved against the wall. Sam is seeing stars as the back of his head bounces off the hard surface.

“You are not my brother. My brother is dead.” Another shove to emphasize the last word. Michael’s emotions shift faster than his fists and a sob is torn from somewhere deep inside as he leans his forehead against Sam’s chest. 

Muffled by the fabric of a Hawaiian shirt the words are wrenched from a tight throat, “and it’s my fault. My fault that Nate is dead.” 

Spinning Michael turns Sam with him and shoves him away violently against the charger releasing him to create the empty tinny sound of deformed metal popping in and out of shape. Then a duller sound as Michael turns back to the wall and slams his right fist into the concrete. Sam holds his breath as an anguished howl releases itself and the fist drives back into the wall. It’s a second before Sam realizes that the hammering isn’t likely to stop. There’s spatters of red starting to splash against the dull grey wall. Fiona and Jesse stand mesmerized by the scene paralyzed in the wake of such raw emotion. 

Hip aching and skull ringing Sam steps in from behind wrapping his hands under his friends armpits and locking them behind Michael’s neck effectively forcing the man to stop pounding the wall. Blood drips down both arms raised in protest before all the weight becomes dead. Sam quickly kneels as the sobbing begins in earnest and releases his hands from behind the broken man’s neck to wrap around his chest in an embrace rather than a restraint.

The sounds of anguish break the trance and Fiona rushes around the car and kneels capturing Michael’s head in her hands and bows their brows together in shared misery. Jesse moves to stand over the scene lending silent support and staying vigilant watching for danger that could come for his friends when their weakness is exposed. They’ll get through this like they’ve gotten through everything in the last five years. Together.


End file.
